Admiral Schofield
photo by Jim Boofer
Admiral Schofield hit the right note after Tennessee’s 85-73 victory over South Carolina Wednesday night in describing the Vols as a basketball version of an ensemble.
“We have so many pieces,” the senior guard said.
The fit is particularly impressive on offense, where they combine for 85.4 points per game on average, while shooting 51.5 percent from the floor and maintaining a stunning assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.8.
Those statistics, and the work behind them, arguably are the top-ranked Vols’ greatest assets heading into Saturday’s showdown with No. 5 Kentucky at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Ky. While they don’t preclude the importance of defense and rebounding against the Wildcats, they best reflect the skill and teamwork that’s driving UT’s play.
For example, Schofield finished a highlight against the Gamecocks that showcased Tennessee’s versatility. The play began with forward Grant Williams, UT’s leading scorer, moonlighting as a point guard. He took the basketball upcourt and hit guard Lamonte Turner in stride with a pretty crosscourt bounce pass. Turner then fed Schofield for a dunk.
Point guard Jordan Bone typically has orchestrated those sort of fast breaks. He had six assists against South Carolina, prompting Gamecocks coach Frank Martin to say: “We can’t ever keep Bone in front of us. He’s got us on our heels the whole time.’’
Bone never made it down the court on the aforementioned play, however. In the end, he wasn’t Tennessee’s top assist man either. Williams took his point guard cameo even further, recording a team-high seven assists.
UT coach Rick Barnes said that Williams told him coming out of the game that his last shot should’ve been a pass instead.
“I think when he keeps that mind-set, he’ll be fine,” Barnes said.
Martin said the Vols are better for another Williams’ attribute, namely his ability to set screens.
“When the player of the year in this league is the best screen setter, that’s tough,” Martin said.
Despite being 6-foot-11, UT’s Kyle Alexander has a lower profile than Williams and some other teammates. But he will be an important piece against the Wildcats, given their length and aggressiveness around the basket. And Alexander’s piece won’t necessarily involve points.
“There’s no question we’re better when Kyle is playing his best basketball,” Barnes said. “There’s no question that when he’s at his best, we’re going to be in it with most teams we play against always because of what he does and the way he always effects the game.”
Alexander’s quantifies his best effort in ways other than scoring, saying 12-15 rebounds and three to five blocks add up to his notion of an “ideal game.”
Those stats would be ideal against Kentucky.
“It could be zero points; I don’t care,” he said. “Just knowing that I helped secure and finish possessions defensively and got extra possessions offensively, particularly at the rim, that’s my game.”
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Dan Fleser is a 1980 graduate of the University of Missouri who covered University of Tennessee athletics for the Knoxville News Sentinel from 1988-2019. He can be reached at danfleser3@gmail.com